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Introduction

Having worked for Frederick the Second of Prussia from 1738 to 1767, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who could no longer cope with the king’s intellectually tyrannical musical tastes—typical of the enlightened despotism of the Enlightenment in which Frederick appeared as a model—decided to change posts. The death of his godfather, Telemann, opened up the way for him to become director of music in Hamburg where his style, too personal for the increasing narrow-mindedness of Berlin, would now blossom in its maturity. As well as countless works of secondary importance, often composed in haste or assembled from pieces by other composers, including his father, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach left us three great oratorios: Die Israeliten in der Wüste, Die letzten Leiden des Erlösers, and Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu. The latter—to a libretto by Karl Wilhelm Ramler written in 1760 which had already been set to music by Telemann, Graun and others—was heard for the first time in a private performance on the Saturday before Easter in 1774. The first public performance of a revised version took place on 18 March 1778 in the ‘Auf dem Kamp’ concert hall. It seems, therefore, that the oratorio, which contains no chorale, was composed expressly for a responsive concert hall audience, and not for a place of prayer and its congregation. Bach, in collaboration with Ramler, con­tinued to modify the work right up to 1784. From 1781 to 1787 he discussed the publication of the work with Breitkopf, but finally abandoned the idea, which he considered not to be worth the investment. Finally, in 1787, following fresh negotiations, Breitkopf published the work which received three perfor­mances in February and March 1788 in Vienna (thanks to the encouragement of Baron Gottfried van Swieten), conducted by Mozart, who made several modifications to the work. A letter from the composer to his publisher reveals how proud he was of the piece which he considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces, from which younger composers could learn much.

Ramler’s libretto is not a dramatic narrative, but a lyrical description of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, high­lighting the feelings aroused by these events, without depicting actual personalities. Although the text is entirely a work of the imagination, it nevertheless contains several paraphrases from the Old and New Testaments. The work has twenty-two numbers and is divided into two parts of almost identical length. Although Bach’s musical language is as varied as possible, there are several recurring features. Each part opens with a short, dark orchestral introduction for strings; all the recitatives begin secco, with a description of a particular event, and continue, accompanied, with Christ’s own words—the only exceptions being No 3 Judäa zittert!, which is accom­panied throughout, and No 17 Elf auserwählte Jünger, which is secco from start to finish. There is one unusual chorus which appears three times to different words and is treated like a refrain; it is first heard as the fifth movement to the words ‘Triumph! Des Herrn Gesalbter sieget!’, and then returns in Nos 16 and 19, retaining each time its powerful and largely homophonic character. The arias and the single duet are charac­terized by a heightened expressivity—‘a composer cannot move unless he himself be moved’, as C P E Bach liked to say—and irregular structure that is often adapted to suit the text. It should also be men­tioned that the choruses which conclude each part are both of the ‘prelude and fugue’ type, even if the final chorus alternates with the first theme in a complex manner. True contrapuntal writing is therefore reserved for the end of each part, as an ultimate expression of divine power and majesty. The work ends with the words of Psalm 150: ‘Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’.

Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu can be consi­dered to be one of the most significant oratorios composed between those of Johann Sebastian Bach and Haydn, who was himself inspired by C P E Bach’s example. The richness of the musical language and forms, the subtlety of the details and the dramatic depth of a work without a plot show us to what extent Carl Philipp Emanuel was a past master in the subtle art of organization, while seeming to write with the greatest freedom. The work is the perfect example of the aesthetic of ‘feeling’, of a modern and contrasting expressivity, less stereo­typed and also less obvious than compositions of the Baroque period. Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu left its mark on succeeding generations and justifiably aroused the admiration of, among others, both Haydn and Beethoven.

Judea trembles! Its mountains quake! The river Jordan dries up! Why do you tremble, O Judea? Ye mountains, why do you quake so? Why was it, O Jordan, that your river ebbed? The Lord rises up out of the earth, Steps onto the rock, and reveals His life to astonished nature. The heavenly host hovers About him in the air, and the cherub Michael descends And rolls the heavy stone away That had been placed before his Lord’s grave. His countenance gleams, his eyes glow. The throng of Romans turns pale And falls onto their shields. Flee, O brothers! The Gods’ vengeance strikes us. Flee!

The devout daughters of Zion move, Not without amazement, through the gaping grave. They shudder and recoil. They behold the eternal one’s Messenger, bathed in light, Who speaks these friendly words: Do not be fearful! I know, you seek the dead Jesus of Nazareth here, That you might anoint him and grieve for him. He is not here. You see the place, The shrouds are present; But seek not him among the dead! What he once said is now fulfilled: He lives! He is risen!

How fearfully my song did mourn thee! Ah! Our comfort, the friend of man, Sees no comforter, but is abandoned. He, who saved his people, bleeds, He, who woke the dead, must die. That is what my timid song lamented.

Who is the daughter of Zion, who so timidly Runs from the grave into the garden and weeps? It will not be long before Jesus himself appears, But unrecognized, and says to her: O daughter, why art thou weeping? Tell me, sir, did you take my Lord from this grave? Where is he now? Ah, permit Me to fetch him; to anoint him With tears; that I might Anoint him with this ointment even in death, Even as I anointed him in life—Maria! Her friend calls out with sweetest voice In his own shape—Maria! My master, ah! She falls down at his feet, He embraces her, kisses her, weeps. Thou shalt see me again! I shall not yet go to my Father. Stand up, and seek my brethren And my Simon! Say that I live and wish to see him.

The father of thy weak children, He who fell and was sad, Heard from thee the first words of comfort. O Comforter of the moved sinner, She who sought thee, she who loved thee, Found with thee the first comfort. Comforter, Father, friend of man, O how every tear Softens thy heart! Who resembles our God, Who forgives evil deeds? Who resembles our God, Who loves the evil-doer? O Love, which thou thyself did bewail, O how every tear Softens thy so friendly heart!

O friends of Jesus! Say why you so often Enter this garden? Have you not heard that he lives? Do you sad, tender women hope To see the godly one, whom the Magdalen saw? Your wishes have been heard. All of a sudden he is there, And his garments are fragrant with aloe and myrrh. It is I! I greet thee! Trembling, they fall to their knees, He lifts them up again: Go to our brethren, And tell the disciples that I live, And I shall go up to my Father’s kingdom; Yet it is my wish to see you all, before I go up, for your sakes, To my God and to your God in heaven.

I see two followers of Jesus there, Leaving Jerusalem through the gates. Utterly unsure, and lost in sadness, They roam through woods and fields, And lament their Lord. The Lord approaches The mourners who stare with misted eyes, Listens to their worries, and tells them: The hero of Judea, whom the peoples should serve, Must first suffer the mockery of the heathen And his own people’s scorn. The mighty prophet of words and deeds Must be betrayed by the friend, who ate with him, And be rejected by another friend, Abandoned by all in his hour of need, And must fall into the evil rabble’s clutches. Evil men shall appear and bear witness against him: Thus speaks God the Father: The King of Israel does not hide his countenance, When faced with ignominy and spittle. He shall offer his cheek to their blows And turn his back on their punches. Led to the slaughter, he shall not open his mouth. Having fallen into the hands of evil men, He shall pray for them to God. They shall bind his hands and feet. In his great thirst, they will give him vinegar to drink, Mingled with gall. They shall shake their heads at him. In a short time he shall be forsaken by God. The peoples shall see whose body they have pierced. His garments shall be parted and cast for lots. He shall be buried like the rich: And with his body undecayed, God shall drag him From the earth’s womb and place him on the rock. He shall go, In his splendour, to his father. His kingdom shall be eternal. His name shall survive as long as the moon and stars survive.

These words heal the pain of his friends, Their heart is inflamed with love Towards their guest. They lie down to rest, he breaks the bread and gives thanks. The disciples recognize him, The mist falls from their eyes, they see him. He vanishes.

Eleven chosen disciples, behind closed doors, Shunning the enemy’s rage, rejoice That Jesus is still alive. You believe he lives, but I, Replies Thomas, am not to be deceived by a false countenance. Did he not appear to the women of Galilee, And to this Simon? Did not Cleophas and his companion see him there At Emmaus? Yes here, my friend, here in this place We all saw him for ourselves: those were his features, The words he spoke resembled his own words. He ate with us. You have been deceived! You allowed yourselves to be deceived, out of longing.

Let me see him, see him with all his nail marks, Then shall I too believe that my ardent wish has been fulfilled. And now the cloud, that surrounded the Lord, has been dispersed. He who stands amongst them says: The peace of God be with thee! And thou of little faith, come, see, doubt not! My Lord! My God! I see, I believe, I am silent. Go then into the world, and be my witness!

My Lord, my God, my Lord, my God! Thine is the kingdom! The power is thine! As truly as thou hast set foot on this land, Thou shalt be the guardian God of the earth. Jehovah’s son shall represent us, All who have been reconciled, come and worship him! All who have been saved, give thanks unto him! My song rises up to thee. From every valley, from every grove. I shall dedicate altars to thee in the fields And temples on the hills. When my tongue no longer utters thanks, Let the devout tear of reverence Be my final song of praise.

On a hill, Adorned by the olive and the palm tree, God’s anointed stands, surrounded by The blessed companions of his pilgrimage. Astonished, they behold his countenance give off radiance. On light clouds they see The chariot of fire that will transport him.

They pray. He raises his hands In a final blessing: Be filled with my spirit! Go hence, and teach Throughout the world That which you have heard from me, The eternal commandment of love! Go hence, And perform my miracles! Go hence, Preach unto all peoples Reconciliation, peace, happiness! Thus he spake, rose up and was swiftly borne aloft. His radiant companions surround his chariot.